Daily Bible Reading Plans

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Recognizing the value of consistent reflection upon the Word of God in order to refocus one’s mind and heart upon Christ and His Gospel of peace, we provide several reading plans designed to cover the entire Bible in a year.

Don Stewart :: Do Angels Actually Exist?

The Bible testifies to the existence of heavenly beings known as angels. The fact of their reality is documented in both testaments. Thirty-four books of the Bible (seventeen in each testament) speak of the existence of angels.

Not Mythical Creatures

There is no hint in Scripture that angels are mythical creatures- they are always treated as having genuine existence. The first mention of angels is in the Book of Genesis where the angel of the LORD appears to Hagar, the mother of Abraham's child.

The angel of the LORD found Hagar near a spring of water in the desert, the spring on the way to Shur (Genesis 16:7).

The last mention of angels is in the final chapter of the last book of the Bible- the Book of Revelation.

It is I Myself, Jesus, who sent My angel to you to testify these things to the churches. I am the root and the descendant of David, the bright morning star (Revelation 22:16).

Many References

Between the first and last mention of angels in the Bible, there are hundreds of other references to them. Their existence is assumed everywhere in Scripture.

Final Authority

If the Bible is what it claims to be, God's revelation of Himself to humanity, then whatever subject it speaks about, it does so with ultimate authority. Since the Scriptures clearly teach the existence of creatures called angels, then it is a fact that they do exist.

Authority Of Christ

The existence of angels is also tied to the authority of Christ. He referred to the resurrected state of believers as being similar to that of angels.

Jesus answered them and said, "You are wrong, because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven (Matthew 22:29-30).

He also said that angels would gather believers when He returned.

When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit upon His glorious throne. Then all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats (Matthew 25:31,32).

It is clear that Jesus believed in the existence of angels.

Summary

Scripture teaches there are other rational personal beings who exist in the universe that are distinct from humans. The Bible calls them angels. From the first book of the Bible, until the last, the existence of angels is clearly taught in hundreds of different references. Angels are always assumed to have genuine existence- they are never treated as mythical characters. In addition to the overall testimony of Scripture, we also have the clear teaching of Jesus on the subject- He believed in angels. Therefore we conclude that angels really do exist.

CONTENT DISCLAIMER:

The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical,
conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy
of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a
range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed
in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.